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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597153">not one among them knows</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilliputianmerriell/pseuds/lilliputianmerriell'>lilliputianmerriell</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Pacific (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer, Blood and Injury, M/M, Not Really Character Death, Trans Male Character, Vampires</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:54:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,063</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597153</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilliputianmerriell/pseuds/lilliputianmerriell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Y’know, if I walked around with my head in the clouds like that during World War II, I’d get my brains blown out in an instant.” </p><p>“Yeah, but because you walked around with your nose buried in a bible, you got used as a chew-toy by some pathetic, second-rate vampire instead.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Sledgefu Week 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>not one among them knows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a Buffy the vampire slayer AU, and it's silly and bad, but despite both the former and the latter you don't have to have seen the show to understand this! But if you have, them you will hopefully get the references I've thrown in there lol.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Snafu is out and taking his nightly stroll, weaving between graves at the cemetery with a familiarity of someone that has walked the same path plenty of times before. In his hand he is twirling a well-used stake between dexterous fingers, the wood rubbing against callouses, scrapes and cuts acquired over the years. He is humming tunelessly to some 90s pop song he’d hear at the radio earlier that day, a song he hates but can’t seem to get out of his head nonetheless. </p><p>He isn’t paying as much attention to his surroundings as he should be – someone or something could jump out at him from behind a tombstone any second after all – but his mind is elsewhere; at his menial day-job at the burger joint downtown; how he is going to afford rent this month; at his friends that keep hounding him for still sticking to his night-gig that doesn’t pay enough. It doesn’t pay at all in fact, and all it’s earned him is several misdemeanours on his record as well as several months in juvie when he was 16. </p><p>Now though, as he is 24 and has been granted guardianship of his little sister at 17 after their mother had passed several months back, he has to be more cautious. He can’t risk behaving in the rash manor he had back then, can’t risk jail or worse, death. Most vampire slayers didn’t stick around for long and it was unusual for someone his age to still be kicking. Then again though, it is also unusual for a vampire slayer to be a guy too – the prophecies only says that vampire slayers are assigned female at birth, totally disregarding whatever changes and spells said slayers decides to use to become their true selves when they are old enough to make that choice. </p><p>Besides the obvious upsides and feeling of being right, being a man definitely had its’ advantages being a slayer, as it often earned him the element of surprise when faced with a new baddie. They usually expected some petite girl with long, unpractical locks of blonde hair that throws high-kicks in platform shoes, not a pissed-off Cajun boy with a permanent sneer on his face. The high-kicks are still present though, sans the platforms that are replaced by worn-down, always-untied sneakers.</p><p>Kicking those ugly-ass vamps’ teeth in is Snafu’s favourite part of this whole gig after all, so he ain’t going to stop doing that part no matter what. </p><p>Just as the thought crosses his mind, something moves in his peripheral vision and Snafu freezes in place. The wooden stake falls easily into his grip, the pointy bit directed downwards so it’s perfectly angled for stabbing baddies in their non-existent hearts. Straining his ears, he can’t hear anything, so he carefully cranes his head around towards the motion. </p><p>Before he has time to catch sight of the offender, he is pushed up against a tree while his senses are flooded by the familiar scent of blood and tobacco. Something is tsk’ing in his ear. “You’re getting sloppy, Slayer. You ought’a pay more attention to your surroundings.” Ugh, Eugene Sledge. For a vampire that’d barely graced his 80’s he sure is a lecturing piece of work. “Y’know, if I walked around with my head in the clouds like that during World War II, I’d get my brains blown out in an instant.” </p><p>“Yeah, but because you walked around with your nose buried in a bible, you got used as a chew-toy by some pathetic, second-rate vampire instead,” Snafu snaps back and pushes the vampire off him. </p><p>Eugene quirks an unimpressed eyebrow once he regains his footing. “I’m only trying to look out for you,” he responds flatly, clearly unappreciative of Snafu’s retort. </p><p>For a vampire, Eugene cares too much. He shouldn’t, not considering all the shit Snafu has <br/>
made him endure through the years, but ever since he got his soul back Eugene just can’t seem to piss off. Apparently he’d been a deeply flawed human when he’d been alive; flawed because as a vampire he was too soft and had too much empathy and moral fibre, all which he now carries with him in an afterlife that has left a trail of death behind him. </p><p>Some days, Snafu thinks the guilt of it threatens to tear Eugene’s non-existent heart to shreds and he is making an effort to redeem himself by helping Snafu on his patrols and hunts. He’d even gone as far as taking part in Snafu’s day-to-day life, visiting him at home and watching out for his little sister when Snafu couldn’t. Keeping an eye that Snafu takes care of himself, especially after – </p><p>And Snafu feels sorry for him because Eugene regained his soul for him in some twisted display of love, and Snafu doesn’t think he can allow himself to reciprocate those feelings even if he wants to. Because what kind of fucked up relationship would that be – a vampire slayer bedding a vampire? Things were easier back when Eugene’s sole purpose was to rip out his carotid artery, and in return Snafu only cared about piercing his hollow rib cage with the pointiest end of a very big stick. </p><p>Snafu huffs, and rolls his eyes. “I can take care of myself. Besides, do you think I am carryin’ this around as a fancy accessory?” He waves empathically with the stake in his hand as if to prove his point. Very Victorian chic which was all the rage last century, Snafu thinks absurdly to himself.</p><p>If possible, Eugene looks even more exasperated which really is quite the achievement considering Eugene had several decades to cultivate patience. Snafu just brought out the best in him like that. “I am worried, because you’ve been distracted lately. Last time that happened we all suffered from a major case of amnesia and the whole town was almost swallowed by the Hellmouth, so pardon me for trying to keep you on your toes.”</p><p>“Damn, you sound like my Watcher... I’ve already gotten this lesson from Burgie, alright? I don’t need to hear all this shit again,” Snafu says and brushes past Eugene to continue down his patrol trail like he is supposed to be doing. </p><p>The sound of boots crunching on gravel follows him and Eugene is hanging over his shoulder like the overgrown bat he is, unafraid of the weapon still gripped tightly in Snafu’s hand. “Then maybe you should listen to Burgin. As much as I dislike admitting that any mortal has a lick of sense, that one definitely has it. You, on the other hand –” </p><p>Just then, a shudders runs though Snafu and he has the sudden feeling that they’re being watched. His pulse quickens immediately, and he strains his hearing so he can listen for any sounds over the heart hammering in his chest.</p><p>Eugene must have noticed his sudden alertness, because his face sets into this serious, detached look that usually means he has shifted into full combat-mode. </p><p>“Y’hear anything?” Snafu whispers to him, cursing his own flawed, human hearing. <br/>
Before Eugene has the time to answer, something drops from the tree branch above and lands straight in front of Snafu. Its’ features are humanoid, though twisted up in a gruesome snarl full of sharp teeth and its’ yellow eyes shines with animalistic hunger. </p><p>“You should listen to your neutered vampire boyfriend,” the vampire growls, before throwing himself towards Snafu with his mouth unhinged and aiming straight for Snafu’s neck. </p><p>Snafu easily side-steps the attack and lands a solid punch straight in the vampire’s belly, sending him crumbling to the earth. “I didn’t ask for your fuckin’ opinion.” </p><p>“Snafu,” Eugene warns, his gaze trained on the surrounding trees and tombstones.</p><p>Snafu doesn’t listen though, his attention on the vampire that’d just tried to jump him; this one couldn’t have been more than 17 when he was sired, because he looks like he’d been plucked straight out of high school and put in a coffin without even removing the letterman jacket draped over his shoulders. It always bothered him when they were so young, never having the chance to grow into their own before their souls and lives were taken from them only to be replaced by an unwavering blood-thirst. </p><p>As if to prove how fresh out of the tomb he actually is, the vampire hisses at him – hisses! – these new vampires really had the gall. “Fucking bitch,” the vampire snarled at him, and Snafu feels his pity quickly fly out the window. He didn’t have patience for insults, even less so those kinds of insults. </p><p>Before he can think of a quick-witted and scolding reply, Eugene once again tries to get his attention; “Snafu!” he calls more aggressively this time, making Snafu take his eyes of the absolute cock of a vampire in front of him ready to pounce. </p><p>“What?” Snafu growls, annoyed until he sees what’s causing Eugene to distract Snafu from his prey: five other, young-looking vampires are all clawing their way out of fresh graves with that same feral look on their faces as the one in front of Snafu. </p><p>“Fledglings.” </p><p>The problem with fledglings is that they’d only recently been sired, probably by some no-good vampire who only cared about having a feast, which meant these ones hadn’t exactly been nurtured and guided the way they should have been. More importantly, it also meant they were hungry and didn’t care about etiquette or decency when it came to finding and eating their food, making them more vicious and unforgiving than most monsters. Fighting one or two is simple due to their lack of self-preservation, but when they came in packs like this… </p><p>In comparison, Eugene is a fucking hoot despite the fact that he’s already killed two slayers in the past, and had really mean upper-cut and even meaner teeth – even though these days, after getting his soul back, those teeth really had lost some of that bite he used to have. Eugene only stuck to pigs’ blood these days, which was fucking disgusting though definitely preferable to having him eat humans. Snafu still couldn’t get over how much the older vampire frequented Snafu’s home to borrow his microwave to heat it up though, since his crypt didn’t have the electricity. It really stunk up the whole house. </p><p>There are six fledglings in total including the one that had jumped Snafu. As they all circle Eugene and Snafu, effectively caging them in and getting ready to pounce, Snafu thinks he recognises some of their faces as the boys that had gone missing from the local high school’s football team a few weeks back. One in particular is easily recognisable, as Snafu recognises the snotty face of one of his little sister's classmates and he thinks maybe the guy recognises him too judging by the extra angry sneer on his vampiric face. </p><p>Snafu feels himself mirror the expression to the best of the ability his human face will allow, as it's one of the guys his sister would come home crying about for harassing her during PE multiple times. It makes him the first victim of Snafu's stake. The guy – Snafu doesn’t know his name, but he looks like a ‘Chad’ – dodges the jab in his direction, surprisingly nimble for his hulking appearance. </p><p>"You little -" before Chad can get the words out, Snafu buries the stake deep into his chest cavity and the vampiric jock effectively dissolves into a cloud of ashes and dust.<br/>
 <br/>
“Fuck you, Chad,” Snafu sneers at the pile of dirt that remains, thinking it is an apt end for the poor son of a bitch.</p><p>“Did you know that one?” Eugene asks as he strikes down one of the other fledglings while dodging another one that jumps at him.</p><p>“No.” </p><p>Snafu swirls the stake in his hand again to readjust his grip before he gets to work; after his day - no, correction, year - it feels good to take out some of his frustration out even if it is at some poor sods who shouldn't have died in the first place. </p><p>God, he just want a fucking rest, maybe a holiday is what he needs, he thinks as he elbows one of the shorter fledglings in the face that sends him to the ground before he pierces his hollow chest with mr. pointy aka his stake. Go to Hawaii for a while. Surely they don't have any vampires, it's too damn sunny there. </p><p>Just then one of the last three fledglings jumps Snafu, a snarl on its’ face as he tumbles them both to the ground. “A distracted slayer, is a dead slayer,” he says mockingly, conveying with his voice what his angry, vamped-up face isn’t able to emote.</p><p>“Everyone has somethin’ to fuckin’ say today, huh,” Snafu grunts and knees the fledgling in the groin. It doesn’t take long before he dissolves into ashes, and his last two companions quickly joins his fate as Eugene and Snafu take them down together. </p><p>“Fuckin’ bloodsuckers.” Snafu spits on the remains, even if he feels immediately bad at the insult with Eugene right fucking there. He shouldn’t be, because Eugene isn’t any better than those boys – in fact, before the got his soul back he was worse. He had killed countless people in his time, and not only for survival, but for sport as if hunting humans were some kind of fucked up game. Slayers specifically, which is how Eugene had met Snafu at the mere age of 18 and had immediately tried to get his third slayer kill under his belt. </p><p>But then, out of some misplaced sense of moral that still lingered from his human days, he had started to care about Snafu as the years passed and Eugene had been unsuccessful in his attempts to rip Snafu’s head off. There had been some form of unity in their shared misery as Eugene or Snafu or both got into trouble with the newest bad guy that did their best to kill the Vampire Slayer. </p><p>“You’re bleeding,” Eugene says with concern, ignoring the slur easily as he approaches Snafu slowly like he would a spooked dog. </p><p>He is, at his flank Snafu had a fairly large gash where one of the fledglings had swiped at him during the heat of the battle. It didn’t hurt – yet – but the wound is bleeding quite badly for being merely a flesh wound. Still, Snafu fails to feel the usual concern he would have before the whole ordeal with the last big bad he’d encountered. </p><p>“I’ll be fine,” he responds dismissively. </p><p>Eugene grabs him by the shoulder. His movements are slow and gentle, but the firmness in his grip sends a clear signal of how serious he is. “You need to allow people to care for you.” </p><p>“Yeah, and I prefer those people to have a pulse,” Snafu shoots back. He tears himself away from the grip, but stumbles as dizziness hits him squarely between the eyes – maybe he’s lost a little more blood than he’d originally thought. </p><p>Quick as a viper, Eugene jumps forward to catch him before Snafu can keel over completely. It’s embarrassing but Snafu can’t see any humour in Eugene’s expressive eyes. “What are you so scared of?” He asks quietly, deceivingly soft as if he isn’t responsible for the deaths of many. As if he’s anything but a cold-blooded killer. </p><p>Snafu bites down on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from yelling at the stupid vampire, doing his best to suppress the emotions welling up from within his belly and pushing at and up in his chest. Ever since his friends had resurrected him from death – had him split and tear his nails on a coffin as he dug his way out of his own grave after the last big bad, a higher being sent from a hell dimension, had Snafu sacrifice himself and his life for “the greater good” – and ultimately ripped him out of heaven for their own selfish needs. He pretends he is fine, but if he was he wouldn’t be avoiding his friends and seeking out the company of a bloodsucker, because he is the only other person that understands what he is going through. He’d died and he had felt relief and peace for the first time ever since he had come into his “calling” as a vampire slayer, and his friends didn’t even know they’d taken that from him. </p><p>Snafu just feels… scared, of everything. And he thinks maybe, selfishly, he wants to die again but he can’t do that to his little sister, nor to Burgie, Jay and Flo, or even Leyden for that matter because Leyden would be dead within the hour if Snafu himself crossed over. It is a miracle he too didn’t cross over the moment Snafu did.</p><p>The only thing that is keeping him afloat these days is Eugene and he has become the only person Snafu feels he can confide in ever since he died and was brought back from the dead. Arguably, they didn’t so much confide in each other these days. Not in the conventional way when you were looking for emotional support anyway. </p><p>He just can’t seem to get enough of the man.</p><p>Eugene's pale hand press into his bloody side only serves as a reminder of that fact, feeling like a brand into his ribs where those long, bony fingers dig into the hard ridges protecting Snafu’s lungs and pathetic heart that skips a beat at the simple touch. </p><p>The simplest answer to Eugene's complicated question pops into Snafu's mind: me.</p><p>“We need to stop the bleeding before all the monsters of this whole goddamn town catch scent of slayer blood,” Eugene says, either not expecting an honest answer to his earlier question or reading it all over Snafu’s face. “I’ve got some bandages and stuff in my crypt. C'mon.”</p><p>Snafu lets himself be hauled along without protest, finding his knees weak and his mind turning a little foggy as Eugene practically carries him with superhuman strength to the crypt he calls home, which is surprisingly homely if the gothic ‘death becomes her’ is your vibe. He is perched  on the tomb sitting centre stage when they get inside – even if the velvety bedsheets draped over what Snafu knows is the softest king sized bed money could buy is sitting in the corner and inviting him in, Snafu thinks sourly.</p><p>“Got to keep you upright while I clean this up,” Eugene murmurs when he spots the longing look towards the bed. Reluctantly he leaves Snafu’s side to fetch some first aid supplies, returning quickly when Snafu starts to sway dangerously. Eugene’s face twists with something resembling concern. “Merriell, I need to look at the wound so I can assess the damage, okay?”</p><p>“I told you, ’m fine,” Snafu slurs irritably, but relents easily enough as Eugene helps him lift his shirt up and over his head. There is only a very small part of him that squirms uncomfortably as the cold air hits his bare chest. </p><p>Eugene doesn’t say anything in response, only lets his fingertips ghost over Snafu’s damaged, bloody flank. The deep, sticky red is smeared across his side and ribs in a thick smear, effectively hiding all of Snafu’s old battle wounds acquired over the course of his years as a vampire slayer; even the fresher, voluntary ones that is two straight, pink lines that shows surgical precision. Eugene’s hand only lingers over those for a moment, as if unconsciously acknowledging to himself they are there, before he returns his attention to the large gash still oozing blood.  </p><p>“Does it hurt?” Eugene asks.</p><p>“Yeah.” No point in lying about the fact that the bastard hurts like a bitch at this point. Snafu can feel the pulsing heat at his side now, resonating in his body and in his ears as if it is an actual sound. </p><p>Eugene pushes a bottle of whiskey into Snafu’s hands. “Take a sip of this. I need to clean the wound, but I much prefer it to be as painless as possible before I do.”</p><p>The spirit stings in his throat on the way down, and Snafu can’t help the grimace that splits his face and the shudder that runs through him at the awful taste of it. He hesitantly takes another cautionary gulp before shoving the bottle back at Eugene.</p><p>There is a small, amused smile on Eugene's face as he soaks a cloth with the whiskey. “Sorry, but won't waste the good stuff on this. I’ll save it for another time when you are able to appreciate the taste more.”</p><p>“Bet you say that to all the boys.” Snafu sniffs indignantly, pretending to be offended even if he can’t quite hide the smirk on his face. The alcohol must already be doing it’s job if he is willing to banter with Eugene of all people. Or maybe it’s blood loss.</p><p>Eugene only shakes his head. “Raunchy bastard.”</p><p>“Oh, drop the holier than you attitude. As if you don’t love it.”</p><p>They slip into silence as Eugene cleans up the wound. It’s almost nice despite that Snafu is perched atop the crypt of some dead guy and surrounded by cobwebs and empty blood bags Eugene used to keep himself from eating humans. It is also weird how they could so easily slip into this sort of comfortable, gentle atmosphere considering how biting they could be towards each other only moments before, and also considering their past of going back and forth of trying to kill each other. Snafu’s friends would be horrified if they knew. </p><p>Snafu is snapped out of his thoughts as Eugene accidently pulls on the sensitive skin surrounding the wound, making him draw in a deep, stuttering breath. </p><p>“Sorry,” Eugene mutters, his eyes slipping to Snafu’s face as if to assess whether Snafu would deck him for his lapse of carelessness. When Snafu doesn’t, Eugene’s attention is directed back at the wound as he reaches for bandages. “Old man was a doctor,” he says conversationally as he unfurls them and gently starts to wrap them around Snafu’s torso. “Learned a lot from watching him back in the day.”  </p><p>“Fixed a lot of your scraped knees when you were little?” Snafu says, trying to distract himself from the feeling of Eugene’s capable hands on him. Not liking how they discombobulated his instinctual hatred for vampires as the Vampire slayer and only made him feel safe and understood.</p><p>Eugene’s expression twists strangely at that. “My heart, actually.” His movement in wrapping Snafu’s wound up only falters slight before they resume their administrations, doing quick work of patching up the wound. “I had a condition. They said it was a miracle I survived past childhood.” </p><p>There is something awfully sincere and human about the expression on Eugene’s face, and it makes Snafu’s own heart twist traitorously in his chest. “I’m sorry,” he mutters, not knowing what else to say. He never had been good at comfort.</p><p>Eugene shakes his head. “Don’t be. I’ve had a long life. In a way, vampirism saved my life.”</p><p>“But stripped you of your humanity. Your heart.” The alcohol is making him bold as Snafu’s hand comes to rest over Eugene’s hollow chest cavity, where his heart had long since stopped beating all those years ago. Still, it feels warm, right. Human. “Why did you fight so hard to get it back?”</p><p>Large palms rest over the bandages, over Snafu’s own heart. “You know why.”</p><p>“Was it worth it?” The question feels heavy, like a stone settling inside his chest. It feels like Snafu is asking Eugene for answers he might not be able to provide yet be the only one who understands the question in the first place. Understands what Snafu is going through.</p><p>“That depends on you.”</p><p>Snafu wants to know if it was worth coming back from the afterlife. Wants to know if has anyone or anything to come back to at all. Wants to know if he is able to love despite the circumstances. Needs to know that Eugene loves him still. </p><p>Snafu doesn't heed the wound any mind as he captures Eugene’s lips with his, thinking distantly that underneath the taste of ash and blood they taste vaguely like honeysuckle and tobacco, before he lets the Vampire carry the Vampire Slayer to bed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Can you tell it is rushed towards the end lol? I wanted to get it done in time for the week but life has been so hectic with everything that I haven't had the time to focus on anything but work th, so I am sorry this is a bit shite. I  am intending to get back to this at some point and do a proper edit, maybe add in some details at some point. Still, I hope you enjoy this little silly thing, even if it's not nearly close to my best work and I also hope to get back on the saddle again soon so I can provide actual quality content and not this.</p><p>But thank you so much for reading if you got this far! I really hope it was satisfactory and do love to get constructive criticism or just a wee comment :-)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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